Just like setting up Wi-Fi within your home, the spatial nature of over-the-air television means you’ll need to be deliberate about your antenna choice and placement in order to get the most bang for your buck. Fortunately, we’ve done all that research for you and are here to walk you through everything you need to know in order to pick the best TV antenna for that new OLED or QLED TV beaming entertainment into your home.

Best for outdoors: Antennas Direct 8-Element Bowtie TV AntennaBest for indoors: Mohu Leaf Supreme ProBest indoor/outdoor: Antop AT-800SBS-J HD Smart Panel AntennaBest long-range: Five Star Outdoor Digital Amplified HDTV AntennaBest budget: 1byone Digital Amplified Indoor HDTV Antenna

How we selected the best TV antennas

With so many different particular needs to address, there isn’t really a single “best” TV antenna. We made our selections based on professional and consumer impressions, with an eye toward cultivating a range of options that should suit the needs of most TV viewers in the United State, including options that will suit homes or apartments, rural or urban living, and more.

What to consider before buying one of the best TV antennas

TV antennas are very simple to set up and use, but picking one requires a little advanced planning. At the very least, you should know whether you want an outdoor TV antenna or an indoor TV antenna. Traditional, roof-mounted outdoor antennas are substantially more powerful for picking up station signals over a wider range, but require permanent installation on your roof or another high place and require outdoor cable management. It takes some work and isn’t an option for most renters and apartment dwellers. If an outdoor antenna isn’t feasible, smaller wall- and window-mounted indoor TV antennas just need to be fastened to a high spot in your space. They offer a shorter range but are far more discreet and are very easy to install. Indoor antennas are almost all omnidirectional because all the local interference of walls and windows tend to even out any benefit you might get from a targeted antenna like one would on their roof.

What do you want to watch?

TV antennas can only pick up local broadcast channels. For most of the United States, an antenna should catch local affiliates of FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC, The CW, and PBS, which all reach over 95% of American homes. In addition, some areas may have broadcast channels like Ion, Telemundo, and MeTV, as well as various public access stations. The number of channels you can find with an antenna will vary widely depending on where you are, with more options as you get closer to a major city. If you want to find out what’s available where you are, there are several free tools online, including AntennaWeb and DTV Reception Maps from the Federal Trade Commission. Input your address, and you can find what stations are nearby, and what kind of antenna you’ll need to watch them. They also include maps of whence the signals are actually broadcast, which can be important for some outdoor antennas.

Won’t the image quality be bad, though?

If you’ve ever watched a TV with built-in “bunny ear” antennas, you might assume that a broadcast TV signal will come in faded, with crackly black and white static (like the opening line of Neuromancer). Fortunately, things have changed drastically since then. In 2009, the U.S. government mandated that TV stations transition from analog to digital broadcasting. As many cord-cutters have been pleasantly surprised to learn, digital signals broadcast over the air are often less compressed than the versions sent over landline by cable services. Major networks broadcast over the air (OTA) in Full HD, or 1080p, and many users claim their broadcast channels come in with brighter, crisper images and sound.  Why is this happening? Both cable and OTA transmissions will degrade over long distances, and cable signals often have to cover a much longer distance than your local station’s broadcast. Cable offers more channels, of course, but broadcast still has some utility.

Range and gain

There are major two specs you want to consider when looking at TV antennas: range and gain. An antenna’s maximum indicates how far away it can be from a station to pick up a broadcast signal. Generally speaking, having a higher range is always better. That said, some antennas boasting very high ranges achieve those stats using built-in signal amplifiers, which may not deliver stellar picture from stations out on the fringes of their extended ranges. Gain, expressed in decibels (dB), measures how well a given antenna performs against a standard reference in picking up signals in a particular direction. As you would expect, a higher listed gain number means better performance, particularly with signals coming from the edges of your antenna’s range.

UHF and VHF

More than an underappreciated 1989 Weird Al vehicle, UHF (ultra-high frequency) and VHF (very-high frequency) are terms you’re going to see while antenna shopping. They refer to the bands of frequency on which particular channels are broadcast. Most contemporary channels are on UHF, but there are still VHF broadcasts out there.  This distinction mostly matters for outdoor antenna users, since most indoor antennas are UHF or combined, but even nominally UHF-only will usually pick up VHF stations regardless. The online tools for finding your local broadcasters mentioned above will include this information about each station. Many antennas are advertised explicitly for both. In general, this is only something you need to worry about if a critical mass of broadcasts you care about are VHF, especially Lo-V.

The best TV antennas: Reviews & Recommendations

The best TV antennas are more powerful and accessible than ever. If you’re new to OTA television after a lifetime of cable or streaming, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how it looks. No matter your budget or needs, the best TV antenna to complete your setup is very likely here among the choices we’ve collected.

Best outdoor TV antenna: Antennas Direct 8-Element Bowtie TV Antenna

Why it made the cut: The Antennas Direct 8-Element Bowtie is a large, powerful, versatile outdoor antenna fit for almost anyone’s needs. Specs

Range: 70 milesUHF/VHF: BothInstallation: Attic/OutdoorGain: 17.4Dbi

Pros

Great performanceFlexibility from multiple aimable panelsLifetime warranty on parts

Cons

LargeIncludes mounting hardware, but requires mount and coaxial cable

Antennas Direct’s 8-Element Bowtie antenna is a solid workhorse that should be more than powerful enough for the needs of most people who have the space to mount it in an attic or, ideally, on the roof. Its eight separate antenna elements are split between four reflecting panels on two independently rotating shafts. These can be either aimed at a single target to better capture signals from a particular direction or spread out to catch a wider range. With a maximum range of 70 miles, 17.4 dBi gain, and flexible configuration, it is a powerful all-purpose option, although it requires some additional hardware to fully mount and connect.

Best indoor TV antenna: Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro

Why it made the cut: Substantially larger than most of its indoor competition, the Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro stands out with great performance and convenient installation. Specs

Range: 65 milesUHF/VHF: UHF, Hi-VInstallation: IndoorGain: N/A

Pros

Easy setupGreat performanceDetachable cable

Cons

Larger than comparable indoor antennas

Mohu is one of the biggest manufacturers of indoor TV antennas for a reason. The Leaf Supreme Pro measures a commanding 12 x 21.5 inches, so it’s hard to ignore its presence. It’s a very thin, flat panel, though, so it can be easily installed in a high corner, and features reversible black and white sides to make it as discreet as possible. The coaxial cable is also conveniently detachable, meaning you can avoid an unsightly wire going up your wall when you’re not actually using it.  On the plus side, it gets great range for an indoor antenna and comes with a separate, USB-powered amplifier that noticeably improves performance. Thin, flat indoor antennas generally don’t do quite as well as their outdoor counterparts, but the Leaf Supreme Pro gets pretty close without many tradeoffs.

Best indoor/outdoor TV antenna: Antop AT-800SBS-J HD Smart Panel Antenna

Why it made the cut: Antop’s indoor/outdoor AT-800SBS-J antenna is a versatile performer at a premium price. Specs

Range: 85 milesUHF/VHF: BothInstallation: Indoor/OutdoorGain: N/A

Pros

Flexible indoor or outdoor configurationIncludes both indoor stand and outdoor mounting poleGreat reception

Cons

BulkyExpensive

Antop’s AT-800SBS HD Smart Panel Antenna is one of the best-performing indoor/outdoor versatile antennas. It has a long range, particularly for an indoor model, and has a 4G LTE blocker to minimize signal interference. When placed inside, the white box with protruding poles on either side seems a little gaudy. When mounted on a roof, it’s one of the nicer-looking antennas, though. It’s expensive, but it provides unparalleled flexibility for a high-performance antenna.

Best long-range TV antenna: Five Star Outdoor Digital Amplified HDTV Antenna

Why it made the cut: Five Star’s outdoor antenna reaches further than most, providing fantastic range at a very reasonable price. Specs

Range: 200 milesUHF/VHF: BothInstallation: OutdoorGain: 15 – 35 dB (boosted)

Pros

Fantastic long-range performance360-degree motorized coverageMounting pole and hardware included

Cons

Not the simplest assembly process

The Five Star Outdoor Digital Antenna boasts 200-mile, 360-degree coverage, and has the hardware to back it up. It features six reflector elements spread across three poles on a motorized spoke, which can eke out as much coverage as possible. It includes wiring and hardware for attaching up to five televisions, perfect for a large, remote home. It conveniently also includes a mounting pole. It requires a bit more assembly than other options, but you get a lot of coverage for your time and effort. 

Best budget TV antenna: 1byone Digital Amplified Indoor HDTV Antenna

Why it made the cut: 1byone’s Digital Amplified Indoor HDTV Antenna is inexpensive and barebones, but solid if you just need the minimum. Specs

Range: 50 milesUHF/VHF: BothInstallation: IndoorGain: 28 dB

Pros

CheapPicks up nearby signals well

Cons

Does deliver on advertised rangeBlack on both sides and can’t be painted

Final thoughts on the best TV antennas

If you’re considering joining the cord-cutting wave, or have done so and miss your local channels, a TV antenna could be the perfect way to round out your TV setup. The exact type and model you need will depend on a number of factors, but you can rest assured that there is almost certainly a great option out there for you at a very reasonable price.